Eastern European Studies Commons^™

My Own Distinguished People: An Analysis Of Carpatho-Rusyn Autonomy Movements, Alexandra S. Benc

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

What factors must a stateless nation possess in order to gain political autonomy? This question is explored through the perspective of Carpatho-Rusyns, an East Slavic stateless nation with a largely unknown, yet rich and distinct, history and culture. Throughout modern history, the Rusyns have made three significant attempts to gain political autonomy and become a semi-independent entity. I argue that stateless nations that possess high levels of the elements of political opportunity structure, cultural maintenance, and economic functioning are more likely to succeed in their efforts to gain political autonomy than those stateless nations who do not. Each of these …

All Victims Matter. Reconciliation Of The Balkan Faiths And Peoples: An Assessment Of Recent Progress, Vjekoslav Perica

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Overall, the recent progress toward reconciliation of the peoples and faiths in the Balkans is good news. The moderates within ruling nationalists’ ranks marginalized the extremists domestically and found support abroad, notably in the European Union, which is interested in fostering greater stability in the troubled southeastern periphery, as well as from the Vatican, both during the pontificate of John Paul II and under Pope Francis, with his ambitious ecumenical agenda concerning the Eastern Orthodox sister church."

Gender Justice And Islam: For Male Two And For Female One Qurban. Why?, Zilka Spahić-Šiljak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "The question we have to ask today as believing Muslims is this: how is it that, in the 21st century, Muslims would rather use a hadith that prefers boys over girls than the actual practice of the Prophet Muhammad? If the Prophet treated his children equally, and showed public affection for his daughter Fatima with the specific gesture of standing up to welcome her every time she came to visit, and if he constantly warned believers to take care of their daughters, how have Muslims ended up cultivating this naming tradition that sends a clear message to daughters that …

Book Review: Rachmil Bryks, May God Avenge Their Blood: A Holocaust Memoir Triptych, Brian Horowitz

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "For the many readers who have never heard of Bryks, I beseech you to get this volume. You are likely to feel as I do, that here is a rare thing, a genuine writer who is ours, writes in Yiddish, although the material belongs to all humanity."

Religious Organizations In Belarus During Protests Against The Regime Of Aleksandr Lukashenko, Petro Kraliuk, Yuriy Plyska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

After the presidential election in Belarus on August 9, 2020, which according to the official data, was won by the then President Alexander Lukashenko, mass protests against falsifications began in the country. Believers of various denominations joined these actions. Therefore, the leadership of the country’s religious organizations were faced with the question of determining their attitude toward these actions. The leadership of the largest religious organization in Belarus, the Belarusian Orthodox Church, initially expressed some dissatisfaction with the authorities’ violence. The then exarch of this church, Pavlo, despite congratulating Lukashenko on his election victory, still expressed some sympathy to the …

Journal Review: Illuminatio/Svjetionik/Almanar, Vol. 2, Year 1 (Fall 2020), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Under the enlightened leadership of its editor-in-chief, retired Grand Mufti of the Bosniak Muslim community, Dr. Mustafa Cerić, the journal Illuminatio splendidly succeeds to implement its espoused aims to be “a journal of new ideas that enlighten the human spirit and mind about the condition of the human past, present, and future.” The journal aims to be a “cultural broker” of universal values with new ideas. Its sources are the most progressive ideas of Islam in its European context, while aiming to explore and, if suitable, to utilize other religious and secular insights. To those who might hold the …

Frontmatter (Volume 40, Issue 10), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Serbian Orthodox Church In The Ecumenical Movement: An Overview, Radivoje Simić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "In the family of Orthodox Churches, the SOC is considered an open and ecumenically engaged Church. This can be seen most notably through its commitment to various ecumenical interreligious gatherings, and in its Inter-Orthodox preparatory meetings. It would not be possible to imagine the Orthodox church engaging in the ecumenical movement apart from the participation of the SOC."

Frontmatter (Volume 40, Issue 9), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Christ’S Ethnonationalist Crucifixion: Sacralization Of Ethnonationalist Agendas Within Croatian Catholicism And Serbian Orthodoxy—Cases And Effects, Zoran Grozdanov, Branko Sekulić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In this article, the authors look into the theological background of the support that nationstates in the Western Balkans received during their formation at the end of the 20th century. Although many articles were written on the causes of the wars for national independence, and on the relationship between religious narratives and ethnic exclusion, very few were written on the theological support of the ethnic exclusion. The authors show that the roots of making ethnos and affiliation with certain nations in Eastern Europe can be found in the writings of late Pope John Paul II and Serbian Orthodox Bishop Nikolaj …

Ukraine Orthodoxy Autocephaly: Social And Value Challenges, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Iryna Horokholinska, Mykola Lahodych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to the relevant aspects of the canonical autocephalous status acquisition process for Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The resonant events of the last two years are considered when crucial decisions had been made that led to the emergence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as autocephalous on the basis of the Patriarchal and Synodal Tomos granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its acting Primate Patriarch Bartholomew. Sociocultural, geopolitical, and moral aspects of the corresponding processes are conceived. The national and cultural role of the functioning of Ukraine Orthodox Church is considered. The authors analyze the current religious and political …

Ukraine As A Religious Destination, Olga Borysova, Tetiana Huzik, Liudmyla Fylypovych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to the state, development, and prospects of religious tourism and religious pilgrimage in Ukraine. Based on the interesting and eventful history of this country, and the presence of many sites of spiritual and religious evolution of peoples on its territory, the authors suggest that Ukraine may become a religious destination under certain conditions. The article briefly describes the history of pilgrimage from the ancient Rus' to the modern Ukraine. After 70 years of communist bans on religion and pilgrimage, religious life as well as religious tourism has been restored significantly in independent Ukraine. But this industry …

Architectural Features Of Protestant Churches From The 16th To The 21st Centuries In Ukraine, Valentyna Kuryliak, Petro Kotliarov, Mykhailo Fedorenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article discusses the way the creeds of Protestants are reflected in their sacred architecture on Ukrainian lands. It investigates the evolution of the architecture of Protestant churches and religious buildings in Ukraine from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. Three periods in the formation and development of Protestantism in Ukraine are distinguished: the magisterial reformation, the classical currents of Protestantism (Calvinism, Lutheranism), and late Protestant currents (Baptism, Pentecostalism, Adventism). The article establishes that the church architecture of Protestant denominations in each of these periods was influenced by the particular teachings of the Protestants themselves, the dominant political ideology, and …

Christian Higher Education: The Global Context And A Russian Case Study, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

An account and analysis of the brief existence of Russian-American Christian University (RACU), a Christian liberal arts university in Moscow.

The Greek Credit Guarantee Scheme (Greece Gfc), Daniel Thompson

Journal of Financial Crises

Beginning in 2008, many Greek banks began to face liquidity strains and capital problems as a result of the global financial crisis. In October 2008, Eurozone leaders released a declaration requiring all participating nations to ensure adequate liquidity, facilitate ease of funding, and recapitalize banks. On November 7, 2008, the Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance submitted a draft law, Law 3723, to the European Commission to fulfill the above directives through the Bank of Greece (BOG). While Law 3723 consisted of three main “pillars,” the focus for this case is pillar II, the credit guarantee scheme, otherwise known as …

Frontmatter (Volume 40, Issue 8), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Multiple Religious Belonging: Russian Reflections, Elizabete Taivāne

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Russian experts in Religious Studies are not acquainted with the notion of multiple religious belonging. Gradually, they are becoming more aware of contact and interrelation among different cultures and religious traditions. They question whether new synthetic forms of religiosity, which combine aspects of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., are possible and what the result of such a synthesis is. A few arguments in favor of exclusivity by prominent Russian experts in religious studies are touched on in this paper. One of the most popular is the incompatibility of different cultural paradigms and anthropological patterns.

Belarus: Religious Freedom Survey, October 2020, Olga Glace

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Before the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Belarus on 2 November, Forum 18 notes continuing violations of freedom of religion and belief and of interlinked freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. These have worsened amid widespread continuing protests against falsified results of the August 2020 presidential election, and against the regime's other serious violations of the human rights of the people it rules.

This was originally published by Forum 18, reposted with permission. Glace, Olga (2020) "Belarus: Religious Freedom Survey, October 2020," Forum 18. Available at: http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2612

A Reflection On Religion And Churches In Slovakia 30 Years After The Fall Of Communism, Ján Juran, Lubomir Martin Ondrasek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Thirty years after the fall of the communist regime in Slovakia presents an opportune time to reflect on various issues related to the broad subjects of religion and society, state-church relations, and the public ministry of the church. The aim of our paper is to offer such reflections with an emphasis on understanding the historical context and religious developments that affect Slovakia’s current reality and must be taken into account when considering present and future challenges and opportunities. The paper consists of two main parts.1 In the first, we present a brief history of Christianity in Slovakia, elucidate developments with …

Financial Situation Of The Russian Orthodox Church And Its Clergy, Sergei Chapnin

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Recently there has been increased talk of the severe financial state of clergy, parishes, and monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), because of the Corona-virus situation. Because of this some priests have appealed to Patriarch Kirill. This article discusses the seriousness of their plight.

Book Review: Victoria Smolkin, A Sacred Space Is Never Empty: A History Of Soviet Atheism, Nadieszda Kizenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Everyone thinks they know about Soviet atheism. The rough outline goes something like this. With communism, atheism became the new religion. Lenin’s body in the Red Square mausoleum was the functional equivalent of the relic cult. After the fall of communism, religion came back. Atheism is over. End of story.

The Trabant And The Mercedes: A Psychological Analysis Into The Disjunction Of German Reunification, Faith Morris

Senior Theses

Ostalgie, a combination of the German words Ost (east) and Nostalgie (nostalgia), is the psychological phenomenon that describes former East Germans’ longing for a return to aspects of life from the period of communist rule. This paper explores the phenomenon of Ostalgie in reunified Germany in relation to psychological constructs of nostalgia and collective identity.

Ostalgie is essentially both a means and an end. This paper seeks to prove Ostalgie is a means of creating identity, formulated by the interplay of nostalgia and certain social conditions that combined with and aided the failure of democratic capitalism for former East …

Hasidism: Ukrainian Origins And The World Context, Ihor Turov, Serhii Ishchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article represents an overview of the history and specificity of the teachings of the Jewish religious movement called Hasidism. In the introductory part, the foundations of the teachings and social organization of this community are considered. The main consideration is given to the most numerous and influential Hasidic groups of the modern world. Particular attention is paid to the Ukrainian origin of Hasidism in the European context of its development. The historical originality of this movement is determined, first of all, by the specificity of its creed. The Hasidic ethos is focused on the person’s inner world. Relations with …

The Roman Catholic Church In Poland After The Fall Of Communism, Krystyna Górniak-Kocikowska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Had I written a paper about the Roman Catholic Church in Poland after the Fall of Communism in 2019, when Paul Mojzes asked me to (thank you, Paul, for your unceasing encouragement!), the writing would have been so much easier than it is now. Not easy, but easier. At that time, the situation of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, just like life in Poland in general, seemed relatively stable, much more so than throughout most of Poland’s turbulent history or even during those 30 years since the Fall of Communism. The Church, too, seemed to be on the way …

Changes In The Attitudes Of The Slovak Population Regarding The So-Called Solution To The ‘Jewish Question’ (1938-1945), Ivan Kamenec

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The course of the Holocaust in Slovakia has been comprehensively and reliably reconstructed in both the domestic and foreign historiography. We know about the mechanisms of anti-Semitic policy and their Slovak particularities, as well as of the tragic fate of the 89,000 Slovak Jews of whom about 70,000—approximately two thirds of all the Jews living in the Slovak State in 1939—perished in the Final Solution

Circuits Of Mobile Workers In The 19th-Century Central Balkans, Evguenia Davidova

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article compares the geographic and social mobility of two “lesser known” groups of workers: merchants’ assistants and maidservants. By combining labor mobility, class, and gender as categories of analysis, it suggests that such examples of temporary and return migration opened up new economic possibilities while at the same time reinforcing patriarchal order and increasing social inequality. Such transformative social practice is placed within the broader socio-economic and political fabric of the late Ottoman and post-Ottoman Balkans during the “long 19th century.”

Pentecostalism In Western Ukraine: Historical Development And Current Theological Challenges, Roman Soloviy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The purpose of this article is twofold: firstly, to examine the origins and historical development of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) in Western Ukraine from 1920 until today; secondly, to give an account of current theological problems of Western Ukrainian Pentecostalism and to explore its theological renewal, which began after the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014). In doing so, the socio-political, ethnic, and religious contexts of the birth of Pentecostalism in Western Ukraine will be studied; these include the living conditions of Ukrainians in the Second Polish Republic, religious situation in Western Ukraine between the First and Second World Wars, …

Book Review: András Máté-Tóth, Freiheit Und Populismus:Verwundete Indentitäten In Ostmitteleuropa, Paul Crego

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

András Máté-Tóth, a professor in the study of religions at the University of Szeged, in Szeged, Hungary, has written an excellent study of the interaction of religion and national identities among the various nation of East Central Europe, called Freiheit und Populismus: Verwundete Indentitäten in Ostmitteleuropa. He draws on a wide range of resources about the national identities of this geographical territory, as well as theoretical works about the developing identities of people around the world. He also draws upon works covering religious identities in relation to ethnic and national identity and discusses religious communities in the area under discussion.

Religious Changes In Montenegro: From The Socialist Atheization To Post-Socialist Revitalization, Vladimir Bakrač, Mirko Blagojević

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The influence, significance, and meaning of religion and religiosity in the Balkans at the end of the second decade of the 21st century have not diminished. Peter Berger argues that today’s world, with some exceptions, is deeply religious—perhaps even more than before. This attitude of Berger refers to modern society, but in the era of socialism, it was not so. Empirical verification from that period records the atheization and secularization of society. In this regard, the primary aim of this paper is to present a kind of panoramic review of religiosity from the era of socialism to the post-socialist transformation …

Religious Organizations Under Quarantine: Ukrainian Realities, Petro Kraliuk, Igor Bogdanovskiy, Kateryna Yakunina

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

On March 11, 2020, quarantine restrictions were introduced in Ukraine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They concerned all spheres of public life, including the religious sphere. Accordingly, all religious organizations in Ukraine had to adapt to the new rules and conditions of their liturgical practice. A dialogue at the state-church level took place immediately after the introduction of the quarantine. Some spokesmen for religious organizations (Greek Catholics, Protestants) called for a consolidation of efforts to support the population under conditions of the spread of the coronavirus disease.

The article analyzes the situation of religious organizations under the conditions of the …